Current searching for information in networked systems occurs in an ad hoc manner, with results being retained according to the searcher's interests. For example, if a group of friends are planning a summer vacation and conduct much of their research by using a variety of online resources, once interesting information has been located, there are few ways for users to share this information effectively. Most often, users share their search results via email and conversation, both of which can be inefficient ways of sharing information within the group.
Further, such a system can result in wasted, duplicative research and/or missed opportunities. If a searcher neglects to bookmark a visited web site, the searcher must spend time repeating the search and re-finding the site. Additionally, because users filter search results for results that meet their requirements, they are unlikely to communicate results that do not meet all of their criteria to other users. In this manner, other members of the group can remain ignorant of results located by another user. Thus, the group as a whole may fail to become aware of results that could have offered good compromises with respect to the members' needs had the results been communicated to the group.
Current searching can also occur without regard to the context of a user's field of search. For example, someone who runs a specialist portal relating to vintage cars may wish to bring together a database of information on such cars. However, when users of the portal input a search query for “jaguar photos,” the portal may return wildlife-related results in addition to, or even ahead of, car results.